Nothing like a new RPG to get the creative juices flowing
I bought Star Wars Saga on Monday. At over six months after the release date, it was getting near the point where my Diehard Star Wars Geek card was going to be revoked. But, at the time, my gaming groups were still in something of disarray. And we had plenty of stuff to do that we didn't need another game. And, the previous times I'd run the earlier D20 versions had not ended well (when I say no lightsabres at the start, I thought that it was pretty well implied that you can't start with a training lightsabre either. Or all the pieces of a lightsabre, just disassembled. Oh. don't pout, everyone else understood it. Like hell sandpeople is a valid language for a human. Fuck it, someone else run something next week).
But, I love Star Wars. I remember having to take a nap as a child because The Empire Strikes Back was going to be on TV. I had action figures; one of my favorite Christmas presents was a tauntaun, and the only disappointment was that I couldn't find Hoth Luke to test drive it. Return of the Jedi, I got to see in theaters. For a while, USA would have the Star Wars trilogy on Christmas day, and between presents and Christmas dinner, I'd plant myself in front of the TV, even though we had all the movies on (well-worn) tapes. I own the 2nd Ed. D6 version of Star Wars, along with Star Wars D20 and Star Wars D20 Revised. Buying Saga was inevitable, even if only as a partial preview of D&D4E.
So far, I've flipped through the books, read some bits in depth, skimmed others. But already, the wheels are turning and thoughts are forming. I love this part, where new ideas just start bubbling over, where I could follow any of a dozen tangents to something exciting. The only regret is there isn't time to use them all.
Thought one is how to con one of my group members into running Dawn of Defiance, the free adventure path WotC is putting out. It sounds interesting, but I think I'd like to experience as a player.
Thought two is character concept. I've had this one sitting in my head for a while, a Han Solo/ Mal Reynolds figure. Maybe fought for the Separtists for a while, but got disillusioned- he might not want to be under the Republic's thumb, but he didn't have a whole lot in common with the Trade Federation or the Banking Clans. And now with the Empire, well, that definitely seems a step in the wrong direction. By class, a scoundrel to start, but multiclassing into soldier as he gets thrown into the thick of things and has to remember his training to survive.
Those are easy ones. The harder ones to grab start coming as I think about what sort of campaign I will run (and I am certain I will run- although I've had some frustrations with players before, some of my favorite game sessions have come out of Star Wars). So, I start thinking about the Legacy comic series- I only grabbed the first couple of issues, but the setting had some good ideas. Taking place about 130 years after Yavin, the Empire has reformed, but now with a more benign emperor. The Jedi Knights are around, and the Sith have re-emerged, but there are also Imperial Knights- like the name sounds, force users loyal to the Empire. The emperor is in fact a fully trained Imperial Knight, as is (iirc) his daughter, the princess.
Hrm. I like the sound of that. I'm not sure what it is, but I really like the idea of Imperial Knights. And the daughter of the emperor has been floating around in my head ever since I started thinking I'd buy Saga. The problem is, I only have a couple of issues, and I'm not sure I want to dig through wikis or back-issue boxes to fill in the gaps of my knowledge.
The Empire era (or Rebellion or Classic era, whatever) has always been my favorite. Knights of the Old Republic is pretty cool, and there's some neat stuff in the Prequel time, but after watching the movies 100 times, Episodes 4-6 are burned into my brain. However, it does carry the risk of running afoul canon. Yeah, there are lots of little parts for PCs to play, but Luke is going to blow up a Death Star, reform the Jedi, and redeem Vader. There are work-arounds. I'm the closest to the canon-quoting, frothing Star Wars geek in my group, so it's not like I have to worry about them starting a mutiny, but I want to shake things up.
So, let's look at an alt-Empire era. And to do this, let's do some research- specifically, let's have a look at the original concept art, stuff that never made it on screen. What can we grab from the concepts and fit into our new universe?
I already had an image in mind when I started thinking about this. With a little searching, I came across this. The old stormtroopers, armed with lightsabres and shields. The idea has been claimed by my imagination. But, I like the iconic blaster armed stormtroopers. I want them firing and missing at PCs, while Jedi characters deflect bolts. So, let's leave the stormtroopers as shock troops and marines. We're going to tie that image to the idea of the Imperial Knights.
Imperial Knights! Trained in the same force techniques as the Jedi. Masters of the lightsabre. Sworn to protect the Empire and the Emperor. And to aid in this defense, special shields capable of deflecting blaster bolts and stopping even a lightsabre.
The bad part of my imagination is it really gets underway after midnight, when I should really be sleeping. So, I'm shutting it off here; another time, I'll expand on a princess in danger: an Imperial princess.
But, I love Star Wars. I remember having to take a nap as a child because The Empire Strikes Back was going to be on TV. I had action figures; one of my favorite Christmas presents was a tauntaun, and the only disappointment was that I couldn't find Hoth Luke to test drive it. Return of the Jedi, I got to see in theaters. For a while, USA would have the Star Wars trilogy on Christmas day, and between presents and Christmas dinner, I'd plant myself in front of the TV, even though we had all the movies on (well-worn) tapes. I own the 2nd Ed. D6 version of Star Wars, along with Star Wars D20 and Star Wars D20 Revised. Buying Saga was inevitable, even if only as a partial preview of D&D4E.
So far, I've flipped through the books, read some bits in depth, skimmed others. But already, the wheels are turning and thoughts are forming. I love this part, where new ideas just start bubbling over, where I could follow any of a dozen tangents to something exciting. The only regret is there isn't time to use them all.
Thought one is how to con one of my group members into running Dawn of Defiance, the free adventure path WotC is putting out. It sounds interesting, but I think I'd like to experience as a player.
Thought two is character concept. I've had this one sitting in my head for a while, a Han Solo/ Mal Reynolds figure. Maybe fought for the Separtists for a while, but got disillusioned- he might not want to be under the Republic's thumb, but he didn't have a whole lot in common with the Trade Federation or the Banking Clans. And now with the Empire, well, that definitely seems a step in the wrong direction. By class, a scoundrel to start, but multiclassing into soldier as he gets thrown into the thick of things and has to remember his training to survive.
Those are easy ones. The harder ones to grab start coming as I think about what sort of campaign I will run (and I am certain I will run- although I've had some frustrations with players before, some of my favorite game sessions have come out of Star Wars). So, I start thinking about the Legacy comic series- I only grabbed the first couple of issues, but the setting had some good ideas. Taking place about 130 years after Yavin, the Empire has reformed, but now with a more benign emperor. The Jedi Knights are around, and the Sith have re-emerged, but there are also Imperial Knights- like the name sounds, force users loyal to the Empire. The emperor is in fact a fully trained Imperial Knight, as is (iirc) his daughter, the princess.
Hrm. I like the sound of that. I'm not sure what it is, but I really like the idea of Imperial Knights. And the daughter of the emperor has been floating around in my head ever since I started thinking I'd buy Saga. The problem is, I only have a couple of issues, and I'm not sure I want to dig through wikis or back-issue boxes to fill in the gaps of my knowledge.
The Empire era (or Rebellion or Classic era, whatever) has always been my favorite. Knights of the Old Republic is pretty cool, and there's some neat stuff in the Prequel time, but after watching the movies 100 times, Episodes 4-6 are burned into my brain. However, it does carry the risk of running afoul canon. Yeah, there are lots of little parts for PCs to play, but Luke is going to blow up a Death Star, reform the Jedi, and redeem Vader. There are work-arounds. I'm the closest to the canon-quoting, frothing Star Wars geek in my group, so it's not like I have to worry about them starting a mutiny, but I want to shake things up.
So, let's look at an alt-Empire era. And to do this, let's do some research- specifically, let's have a look at the original concept art, stuff that never made it on screen. What can we grab from the concepts and fit into our new universe?
I already had an image in mind when I started thinking about this. With a little searching, I came across this. The old stormtroopers, armed with lightsabres and shields. The idea has been claimed by my imagination. But, I like the iconic blaster armed stormtroopers. I want them firing and missing at PCs, while Jedi characters deflect bolts. So, let's leave the stormtroopers as shock troops and marines. We're going to tie that image to the idea of the Imperial Knights.
Imperial Knights! Trained in the same force techniques as the Jedi. Masters of the lightsabre. Sworn to protect the Empire and the Emperor. And to aid in this defense, special shields capable of deflecting blaster bolts and stopping even a lightsabre.
The bad part of my imagination is it really gets underway after midnight, when I should really be sleeping. So, I'm shutting it off here; another time, I'll expand on a princess in danger: an Imperial princess.